Wednesday, October 19, 2016

A Search Begins - Obamacare Sucks!

I'm thinking it will be easier to figure out who to hire to take down my trees (I show the representative of the second of three possible companies around my yard at noon today), than it will be to figure out what health insurance to get for next year. I've been with Blue Cross and Blue Shield on and off throughout the years, but last rejoined them in 2007. Now, because of the "Affordable Care Act" (which is NOT affordable for me), they are leaving our market for individual subscribers, only allowing businesses with a certain minimum number of employees to have their coverage. One employee doesn't meet their criteria, so I'll have no health insurance beginning January 1, 2017. I started doing the research on where to switch my insurance yesterday morning and it's a bleak desert of choices.

A lot of good was done with Obamacare, but see that second item? Lower premiums?My monthly premium has doubled in two years so that I'm now paying close to$2000/month. Now DH and I won't have insurance of our choice or doctors/clinics ofour choice, and the premiums will be MORE than $2000/month. Ridiculous!

The one thing that seems almost certain is that I'll lose my doctor and clinic, or have to pay additional fees to use them. I love my doctor! After years of hunting I finally have a doctor who listens, asks appropriate questions, and seems to really focus on wellness, not illness. I adore her! I don't want to switch to another doctor. But all of the varied health plans that seem to be available to me now don't seem to include my current clinic. ARGHHHHHH!

That really poorly drawn arrow points to my state with a 25.8% premiumincrease in insurance rates. We're not the highest, but we're certainlyright up there. Only four states have increases larger than mine. Allof the twelve dark states have increases of more than 20%. Ten stateswill have their insurance rate decrease or remain the same and the other40 states will have some kind of increase with the twelve dark statesat the highest increase in insurance rates.

I have emailed my clinic to find out what insurance plans they accept. Nowhere on their website do they list that at all. I'm going to continue to research possible plans and availability. But I'm also going to try and get as much as possible done this calendar year before I'm pulled into the whirlpool of already paying more than $2000/month for insurance and still having to pay even more if I want to see the doctor of my choice. Affordable Care? Bull!!!! What a crock of crap!

I have friends who have been helped enormously byObamacare. I know it has offered insurance where there wereno options in the past and has insured people who wereunable to get insurance before. But I'm caught in the middle.My business isn't large enough and I'm not old enough to get abreak on any front. I'll have to pay through the nosefor my healthcare until I'm 65.

Here's hoping you have a wonderful Wednesday. Mine will be super busy with the gym, errands, and meeting my next tree removal dude for a quote on taking down my trees today at noon. I'll be back with you tomorrow, hopefully ready to tackle the next step in this year's holiday cards. Watch this space - a call-out for cards will be coming before Halloween.